Reston Hospital Center leads Fairfax County’s drug take-back haul

Reston Hospital Center collected the most drugs during the Fairfax County Police Department’s annual national prescription drug take back day on Saturday (April 22).

The hospital’s location, one of eight drop-off sites, collected a whopping 226 pounds — far more than the 127 pounds collected by the second-place sites: West Springfield and Fair Oaks.

The FCPD partners with the Drug Enforcement Administration every year to collect expired and unused over-the-counter and prescription drugs from community members through drop-off sites across the county. This year, a total of 761 pounds were collected.

A breakdown of collections by each drop-off site is available below:

• Sully: 83 pounds
• Mount Vernon: 35 pounds
• McLean: 42 pounds
• Mason: 80 pounds
• Franconia: 41 pounds
• West Springfield: 127 pounds
• Fair Oaks: 127 pounds

“This important initiative addresses vital safety and public health issues,” the FCPD said. “Unused or expired over the counter or prescription medicine left unsecured can be prone to misuse and may contribute to overdoses and accidental poisonings.”

Drug take-back boxes are available around the year at each police station. Accepted items include prescription medication (schedule II-V controlled and non-controlled), prescription ointments, over-the-counter medications, and medications for pets.

Prohibited items include needles (sharps), liquids of any kind, illegal drugs, non-prescription ointments and lotions, aerosol cans, and inhalers, according to the police department.